


feelings on fire

by amorias



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Almost Kiss, F/M, prerelationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 23:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11300739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amorias/pseuds/amorias
Summary: After Artemis confesses her family ties and before she goes to Santa Prisca, she and Wally have a conversation heard only to them.





	feelings on fire

 

“Artemis, wait up.”

Of course Wally had to show up and ruin the moment Artemis was having with herself – the first time since she joined the team that she really felt like she could breathe freely, to not have to hide herself (even though she kind of feels like doing it anyway – old habits die hard, she guesses). She slows her pace only marginally, because let's be real, if Wally really wanted to catch up with her, he _definitely_ could. He catches up and puts a hand on her shoulder, which all but forces her to stop and look at him.

“Other than... just now, I haven't seen you around lately,” he says, tilting his head to the side, eyebrows furrowed together in something that could almost be described as concern apparent even under his cowl.

“Yeah, well, I've been avoiding you, so,” she says curtly, shouldering away from him and crossing her arms over her chest.

“...okay,” he says, as if unsure how to proceed with that. He runs his teeth over his bottom lip, and Artemis tries not to watch. “Look, I just wanted to... I don't know. You know that I don't think you're terrible like all the time, right?”

“Thanks, I'll keep that in mind next time you call me a coward.”

Wally lets out an exasperated sigh. “I'm kind of trying to be nice to you right now, and for the record, you're the one who fucked _me_ over during the mission, in case you don't remember!”

There's an awkward lapse in the conversation and Wally can feel his heart beating fast in his chest – well, faster than usual.

“I know you were just scared,” is what comes out of his mouth. “But did you really think we were all just going to ditch you when we found out?” He swallows. “I meant what I said, about you not having to prove anything to me. You're just Artemis, your family doesn't change that.” He scratches at his cheek and gives a noncommittal shrug. “That's it, I guess. That probably sounded really dumb.”

“It sounded fine, Wally,” Artemis says in a voice that is not her own, as if she is watching this happen from some place far away from here. She grinds the toe of her boot into the ground, suddenly finding examining her shoes to be much more important that replaying their moment in the bioship.

“I'm sorry.” Her gaze snaps back up to his. “For calling you a coward.” His voice is quiet, tinged with anxiety and embarrassment and the air feels heavy around them, a weight on her chest that feels like it won't ever go away. “I was angry and hurt because--” He cuts off awkwardly and she gives him a look, noticing the way redness is crawling to his cheeks. “Because, um. I've been thinking that, I mean, it's pretty dumb, but I had just been thinking that maybe--”

“Wally.”

“You weren't so bad and that I kind of liked you and that you, maybe, possibly, liked me too,” he huffs out, and it's all one word, and if she wasn't used to him muttering things at super speed under his breath (she's convinced that when he says things under his breath, they're actually meant to be directed at _her_ ), she might actually not have gotten it all.

“Are you saying you like me for my personality?”

“I know, I was surprised too,” he says, trying and failing to be stone-faced as a small half smile tugs at his lips, and she mimics it in an attempt to stay straight faced and she gives him a punch on the arm, which he pretends doesn't hurt even though it _totally_ does.

“Are you... flirting with me?” She asks, incredulous in the face of the confession he just gave her.

“Have been for the past six months, but thanks for noticing.”

The goofy half smile turns into a full-fledged smarmy smirk and Artemis is reeling, a heat curling in her stomach that she wills herself to ignore. She scoffs, and if it was anyone but Wally she would absolutely punch them in the gut for making her feel like this, but for some reason that is unknown to her (except for in the deepest recesses of her mind that she refuses to acknowledge, even now), she gives him a pass.

She bumps passed him, cheeks flushing coral.

“See you in hell, West,” she says, more out of habit than anything, it's not even mean, it doesn't have any bite due to the crack in her voice and the smile on her face. He picks up his stride and is back next to her in three steps, is in front of her in two more, and starts walking backwards so he can look at her.

“Are you asking me on a date?” He asks, wiggling his eyebrows. “'Cause I accept.”

“If I make it out alive from Santa Prisca, I'll consider it,” she says.

“Is that a promise?” He asks, leaning in and forcing her to come to a halt, spots of gold in his eyes visible to only her, watching her like she is the only person on this planet. She chews on her lip and is secretly pleased when his gaze drags down to her lips before quickly snapping back up to her eyes.

“I guess so,” she says in a last-ditch attempt to remain coy to keep her dignity, but that coyness seems to go out the window when he leans in so close that his eyes are already shut and her's are too now and she can feel the exhalations of breath from his nose--

“Artemis.” Her name rings through the PA system and diverts her attention from Wally's lips, which are only milliseconds away, so close to her's that she can practically taste the peppermint flavor of his mints. “Superboy. Miss Martian. It is time.”

She draws back, stone-faced to hide her disappointment, something that Wally doesn't even bother with – she can see the tightness in his jaw and the slight tremble in his hands, like he has been waiting for this for too long. But as he huffs out a sigh, the tension melts, and he darts forward and pecks her on the cheek, hand suddenly in her hair.

“I promise, when we get back, I am gonna kiss you so hard,” he says, at least having the graciousness to sound embarrassed.

“Don't make promises you can't keep,” she says, in that far-away voice, an attempt to feel normal in the face of what just happened, of what is about to happen. As they drop her off from the bioship a mile away from where Sportsmaster is to pick her up in his Light-issued helicopter, she turns to look back up and sees Wally, hand up against the glass. She waves, and it's a silent promise that everything will be fine, that she will get out alive and he will give her the best kiss of her life – she tells herself not to hold her breath on that one, but she does in spite of herself, all the way to Santa Prisca.

 

**Author's Note:**

> honestly? i don't know what this is but i feel like there must have been a conversation between artemis confessing her family and wally picking her up and kissing her like lbr. tumblr is ivankarelin.tumblr.com and headcanon tumblr is motokiharuna.tumblr.com


End file.
